1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method of controlling a command for the automatic starting/stopping of the thermal engine of a vehicle, the command using information coming from sensors and a data communication bus, the information representing an operating state of the vehicle, as well as a device for controlling the implementation of the method.
Automatic starting/stopping control is known by the English term “Stop and Go”.
2. Description of the Related Art
The control of the automatic starting/stopping of a vehicle consists, under certain conditions, of causing the complete stoppage of the thermal engine when the vehicle is itself at rest, and then restarting the thermal engine following, for example, an action by the driver interpreted as a restarting request. A typical situation of “Stop and Go” is that of stopping at a red light. When the vehicle stops at the light, the thermal engine is automatically stopped and then, when the light goes green, the engine is restarted following the detection of the pressing of the clutch pedal by the driver or any other action that can be interpreted as the intention of the driver to restart his vehicle. The advantage of the “Stop and Go” control in terms of energy saving and reduction in pollution, in particular in an urban environment, will be understood.
“Stop and Go” control uses information representing an operating state of the vehicle, information coming from sensors in the vehicle, such as sensors for the cabin temperature or for detecting the position of the clutch pedal, or information read on a data communication bus such as the speed of the vehicle or the speed of rotation of the engine.
Although this control makes it possible to stop and restart the thermal engine automatically, there do not currently exist any particular technical arrangements for taking account of conditions disturbing the normal functioning of the automatic vehicle starting/stopping control.